Will Eubank’s previously announced action thriller Land of Bad will shoot on the Gold Coast and South East Queensland from this month, with Luke Hemsworth and US star Milo Ventimiglia to appear alongside Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth.
The film has received a $3.9 million grant via the Federal Government’s Location Incentive Program, with the expectation it will create more 270 jobs for local cast and crew and inject $7.7 million into the state’s economy. Screen Queensland is also supporting the title via its Production Attraction Strategy.
Written by David Frigerio and Eubank, Land of Bad follows Reaper (Crowe), an Air Force drone pilot supporting a Delta Force special ops mission in the South Philippines.
After the mission goes terribly wrong, he has 48 hours to remedy what has devolved into a wild rescue operation. The Tier-One team, led by Cpt. Sugar (Ventimiglia) and Sgt. Abel (Luke Hemsworth) is redeployed to return and retrieve their captured man and the asset.
They are joined by Kinney (Liam Hemsworth), a green Air Force JTAC officer, who is thrust into the middle of a high-stakes extraction. But the ground mission suddenly turns upside down and becomes a full-scale battle when the team is discovered by the enemy. With no weapons and no communication other than the drone above, Reaper becomes the young operator’s only ticket out of the Land of Bad.
Ricky Whittle, Daniel MacPherson, and Chika Ikogwe round out the cast of the film, which is being produced Frigerio and Eubank for Broken Open Pictures, alongside Volition Media Partners’ Adam Beasley and Michael Jefferson, R.U. Robot, and Highland Film Group, which is representing international rights.
Hoodlum Entertainment’s Tracey Robertson, Nathan Mayfield, and Tracey Vieira are the Australian executive producers.
Arts Minister Tony Burke said the production provided Australia’s screen sector with the opportunity to capitalise on its highly sought-after expertise.
“Land of Bad is good news for the Australian screen sector – and I’m excited to welcome this production to our shores,” he said.
“Every film we attract to Australia provides local workers with the opportunity to showcase their skills to the rest of the world. It also showcases amazing Australian landscapes to an international audience.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was pleased to welcome another big-name production to the state, which has recently hosted Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and Netflix’s Spiderhead, as well as the upcoming Wizards!
“Queensland continues to shine off and on screen, which is why producers are returning to our state and local production companies are gaining global reputations,” she said.
Highland COO Delphine Perrier said the company was “especially happy to be in production Down Under”.